Hope on the Horizon
by Lightseeker
Summary: Post-Fractures. John needs to find a way to accomplish his goal to destroy Scorpy’s wormhole research, but that’s not the only thing on his mind: the return of Aeryn Sun and the way she has been acting, especially towards him, has complicated matters.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Hope on the horizon  
  
Author: Sabine  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Season 3 all the way up to "Fractures".  
  
Summary: Post-Fractures. Aeryn and the others may be back onboard Moya, but things are not the way they used to be. Is Aeryn's attitude towards John going to change before their new mission starts?  
  
Notes: I would like to thank my darn muse for appearing again after being 'lost' for six months and forcing me to write this story.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Farscape characters. All Farscape characters, names and situations are trademarks of Jim Henson Company, Hallmark Entertainment, Nine Network Australia, and SciFi channel ©.  
  
***  
  
John stared up at the ceiling of his quarters, chewing on his pen and his notebook placed on the centre of his chest. He had been up for hours, pacing about in his quarters because he was unable to fall sleep. Too much stuff was going around in his head, some of which he had no desire to be in his head in the first place. Things he didn't want even to think about.  
  
He grabbed the notebook with his hands and looked at it. After the other him had taken it with him, he hadn't bothered to replace it. And now it had been returned to him in duffle bag along with the other stuff his twin had taken. John glanced over to the side of his bed, to the place where he had left the black duffle bag.  
  
He couldn't bear to wear the clothes that were neatly folded and carefully placed among the other contents inside the bag. Had Aeryn been the one to do it? To gather the belongings and pack them or did Stark, Rygel or Crais do it for her?  
  
The items were all that had been left of a dead man, all the evidence of a life that had been lived. Valuable things...things carrying memories. Things he had called his own in a not so distant past. These items were technically his. Technically.  
  
A laugh escaped from him.  
  
Technically was a good word to describe it. The things in the duffle bag had been John Crichton's things and he had died. He was John Crichton and he was still alive, so that meant all the things in the duffle bag were his. But were they really? Sure, they *had* belonged to him, but now it felt as if they didn't anymore.  
  
It was really quite simple, wasn't it? They didn't feel like they were his, because they in fact weren't.  
  
He wasn't going to wear his long leather Peacekeeper coat, because he wasn't going to pretend to be someone he was not. Wearing that coat would indicate that he was trying to erase the fact that there had been two of him walking around the universe and to ignore the sacrifice his twin had made.  
  
Not wearing the coat would be his way to honour his twin's memory. The two of them might have started out as the same person, but after his twin had split with Aeryn, Crais, Rygel and Stark on Talyn that changed. He was no more his twin than his twin had been him.  
  
John brought his attention back onto the notebook he was still holding in his hands. He hadn't been able to bring himself to read what his twin had written in it. Too afraid that he would read things about his twin's relationship with Aeryn and too afraid that if he did he would be unable to control his jealousy or anger. A couple of arns ago he had decided to write something in it about the recent events on Moya. He had made sure to open it on a page where nothing had yet been written on, but no matter how hard he tried he just could not bring himself to write anything down.  
  
His twin and Aeryn.  
  
Truth was that it could have been him. He could have been on Talyn with her. Instead he had been left on Moya without the centre of his universe, Wynona, his notebook and with a green shirt he didn't like to wear in the first place, but kept on doing so because she had chosen it for him. And while the other him seemed to have everything going for him, things had only seemed to get worse for him.  
  
John threw the notebook against the wall on the far side of his quarters in frustration.  
  
" Did that make ya feel any better?"  
  
John scrambled up from his bed and gave the person standing in the entrance of his quarters a surprised look. He had no idea that she had been standing there. Hell…he hadn't even heard her approach. "Chi, what are you doin' here? Shouldn't you be sleeping right now?"  
  
"Yeah, I should probably be doing that, but I…um…heard you moving around an' I thought I'd check on you. Ya know…to see if you're all right." Chiana's black eyes stared at him and he could read the concern for him on her face.  
  
John nodded as he sat down on the edge of his bed and ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry if I kept you awake. It's just that I couldn't fall asleep. I've got a lot of stuff on my mind lately…things I need to sort out, but I've no idea where I should frellin' start."  
  
His eyes followed the Nebari as she walked over to where the notebook had hit the floor and picked it up. A puzzled expression appeared on her face as she turned to look at him. "Your notebook? Did Aeryn give it back to you? I would've thought she…"  
  
"…would have kept it," John finished for her. He shrugged as he gestured to the corner of his quarters where the duffle bag was residing. "It was in there along with Wynona, Stark's mask and *his* clothes. I don't really think she wants to be reminded of what they…"  
  
He stopped for a moment before continuing. "You know…with him dying an' all."  
  
"Yeah…I know," Chiana smiled sadly. Her fingers gently touched the cover of the notebook, tracing the lines written on it. "It's kinda weird. The other you being dead I mean…and you being alive. I…we all lost a friend, but somehow it's different coz you're still here. I grieve for him, but I'm so glad we've still got you. But Aeryn…"  
  
" D'Argo told me that she thinks I'm his clone," John softly spoke as he looked up at the Nebari. "It hurts, Chiana. It hurts so frelling much and it's not the way she's treating me that hurts me the most. It's seeing how much she's hurting…seeing her pain. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her it's going to be okay, but I know I can't do that. Not now."  
  
"It's gonna be okay, old man. It might take a while, but in the end it'll all be all right," Chiana stated as she sat down next to him on the bed, handing him the notebook. "She loved you before there were two of you. You may be a little different from the guy she lost, but you're still John Crichton. That has to count for somethin', doesn't it?"  
  
"I hope so, Pip. It's not like I'm expecting her to throw herself into my arms…she's more likely to kick my ass or just plain ignore my existence right now. Not that I blame her. She probably sees him every time she looks at me…being remembered of what she's lost. The last thing I should do right now is push her, unless I'd want a date with the infirmary. I mean…if we are ever to have a shot at something more again, it'll take time. Aeryn Sun takes time. He was right about that…"  
  
"The other you?"  
  
"Yeah…he left me a message with lil' bit of Stark's help," John grimaced, placing the notebook next to him on his bed. "He explained me what had happened to him and he gave me some advice…"  
  
"Is what he said in his message the reason for what you are planning to do? Is that why you want to destroy Scorpius' wormhole research project?" Chiana inquired curiously.  
  
"Wormhole knowledge can be a dangerous weapon, Chiana. Especially if it falls into the wrong hands, which is why I've must do what I'm gonna do. Neither the Peacekeepers nor the Scarrans should be able to wield such a weapon with the track records they've got. It's just too damn dangerous and too many lives would be at stake if that happened."  
  
"Sabotaging Scorpius' research isn't going to be an easy thing…"  
  
"Nope…it's not. Then again when has anything ever been easy, Chi? The ugly truth of it all is that it needs to be done, because if we don't there's no telling what will happen next. And right now, I'm the only one who has the power to do anything about it."  
  
"You really don't think I'm gonna let you die all by yourself, do ya? Besides if I'm gonna go with you on this fahrbot mission of yours, you'll have a bigger chance of surviving than without me. I have certain talents that could come in handy," Chiana grinned. Truth was that she hadn't seen John and the others die in one of her experiences, but the reality was there. It was going to be a dangerous mission and there was a big chance that they wouldn't all make it out alive. Maybe she could change that by sticking around them, hoping that if she had one of her experiences she would be able to prevent it from happening. She cared too much for John to see him die or Aeryn for that matter.  
  
"Thanks, Chi," John spoke as he gave her a hug. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."  
  
"It had better, because it's my life I'm putting on the line for ya," the Nebari laughed, getting up from John's bed. She slowly walked towards the door and turned to look over her shoulder once before leaving his quarters. " You'd better get some sleep, coz you're gonna need all the sleep you can get if you wanna pull that plan of yours off."  
  
"I will, Chiana. Don't worry. I'll drop by the pharmacy for a visit to get something that'll make me fall asleep," John reassured her. She nodded as she continued in the direction of his door.  
  
" Hey Chi?"  
  
"Yeah, old man?"  
  
"Thanks again."  
  
"No problem, John."  
  
John fell back on his bed and a smile appeared on his face. His little conversation with Chiana had really helped him get back on track. He needed to come up with a plan. Snippets of a plan were already forming in his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. He needed someone to bounce ideas off and that meant that he needed to talk to Harvey. Harvey knew Scorpy better than anyone…he would help him find a way to accomplish what needed to be done.  
  
But first…first he needed to get some sleep. It was time for a field trip to the pharmacy… 


	2. Hope on the Horizon, part 2

***  
  
He heard sounds of movement coming from the pharmacy. It looked like he wasn't the only insomniac aboard Moya this particular evening. It was probably Jool. John was glad that Jool had found something to call her own…even though her bedside manner still left something to be desired. It hadn't been easy for her to adjust to life onboard Moya and it's inhabitants, but she had succeeded. The only problem D'Argo and he had now and again was to prevent Jool and Chiana from trying to kill each other. Those two galls had a love/hate relationship goin' on and Jool's newly formed friendship with D'Argo certainly didn't help too ease things between them.  
  
" Jool? You in there?" John's voice echoed through the corridor as he entered the pharmacy.  
  
But the person he had expected to see standing in front of him, was not there. Instead of Jool he was now looking at the one person who'd been haunting his dreams ever since he'd ended up in The Uncharted Territories. She stood there with her back turned against him, leaning on a console.  
  
"Um…Aeryn. I was looking for Jool, but she's obviously not here," he concluded. If she had heard him, she surely didn't show it. Hell…she was basically acting like he wasn't there at all, which was something he had gotten used to by now. It seemed like she barely tolerated him being around on Moya. She only talked to him if there wasn't another option available and when she did say something, it was like a stranger was talking to him.  
  
"Obviously."  
  
The reaction she gave left a bitter taste behind in his mouth, not to mention the feeling like he'd been stung by some kind of poisonous animal.  
  
"Yeah…well, don't mind me. I'll just grab what I am looking for and leave," John spoke as he walked towards the table where all the potions were being kept. Taking a closer look, he noticed that there were no labels on the potions. How was he supposed to find something to make him fall asleep if he didn't know what to look for?  
  
Aeryn Sun watched as John was browsing through the collection of potions, picking a small bottle and shaking it to see what was happening inside. She made sure that he didn't notice the fact that she wasn't really paying attention to the readings on the console and instead was following his every move.  
  
It wasn't like he had caught her by surprise when he had entered the pharmacy. She had heard the sound of his familiar footsteps long before he had even turned the corner and walked into the corridor where the pharmacy was located.  
  
He looked tired.  
  
Aeryn knew him well enough to know what was going on inside his mind by just looking at him. She didn't have to see his face to know how her earlier remark had hurt him, but she couldn't help it. Why had her John died and why was he still alive? It just wasn't fair. Every time she saw him she was reminded of how perfect it had been with her John. But she wasn't just angry at this John…she was also angry at her John for having died. She was angry because he hadn't given her a chance to save him.  
  
"Crap!" John threw one of the bottles back on the table. Zhaan had once given him something to help him sleep and a couple of weekens ago Jool had done the same, but he just couldn't remember what the potion exactly looked like. He wasn't going to wake Jool just to ask her to find the potion for him, so that he could have a decent night of sleep.  
  
John turned his head to look at Aeryn and found her eyes staring coldly at him. He opened his mouth to ask for her help, but then decided against it. Maybe he could fall asleep without the damn potion…  
  
"What is it you're looking for, Crichton?" Aeryn felt herself starting to walk towards him until she had reached the table where he was standing. She had seen the surprised look on his face as she had asked her question.  
  
Coming to a halt next to him, she regretted being so close to him and desperately fought the urge to touch and kiss him. He wasn't her John Crichton. Yet every gesture, word spoken and expression on his face told her otherwise.  
  
"Um…I've been having trouble sleeping lately and I was looking for something to help me get some sleep, but I can't seem to find it. Guess I'll just have make due without a magical sleepin' potion," he smiled as he shrugged. " 'Night, Aeryn…"  
  
"Don't be stupid, Crichton. If you had been able to sleep without a potion you would not have been here," Aeryn noted, grabbing him by his arm and preventing him from leaving. She sighed as she gestured him to follow her. "Come with me, Crichton."  
  
"I don't understand…"  
  
"You are not the only person who has recently had trouble sleeping," she stated as she headed in the direction of the pharmacy's exit.  
  
*You stupid idiot. You inconsiderate jerk. You should have thought of it before, Johnny-boy* he thought as looked at her. After she had uttered those last words he had been ready to hit himself on the head. Her comments should immediately have registered in his brain instead he had just stared at her in confusion.  
  
"Do you wish to be able to sleep or not, Crichton?"  
  
John nodded as he turned to follow her out of the room. What he wouldn't give for a couple of arns of blissful sleep…  
  
***  
  
The walk to Aeryn's quarters had been a silent one and now he found himself standing in the entrance, watching as Aeryn grabbed something tiny from a ledge. He hadn't expected her to do what she was doing right now. Man…he was just plain glad that she was helping him out and it meant more to him than she could imagine.  
  
"Crais, Stark and Rygel got it for me after Dam-Ba-Da, but I stopped using it soon after that. It should prove to be helpful for you," Aeryn spoke as she handed him the tiny glass-like container filled with a purple substance.  
  
John opened the container and sniffed the air emanating from it. He was sure that the expression on his face was a dead give away as to what was going through his mind. This stuff smelt abso-frelling-lutely horrible. How the hezmana had Aeryn been able to stomach it?  
  
"It works better than it smells," Aeryn offered, with a hint of a smile on her face. She had reacted the same way when she had first taken the potion after Stark, Rygel and Crais had returned from the commerce planet they had visited before they had travelled to Valdon. She remembered the sarcastic remark she had made about the potion; saying that considering the way it was smelling, it probably wasn't any good. Less than a microt she had already fallen asleep on her bed, experiencing the first peaceful sleep since John had died in her arms.  
  
"I'll have to take your word for it, Aeryn," John grinned. He paused a moment, looking in her blue eyes. "Thank you, Aeryn. Not just for this, but for joining me on the mission. Thank you for standing by me when you didn't have to."  
  
"It was a simple choice. The odds of surviving your mission on your own were against you and I wasn't going to let you die again," she replied. *This time I'll do everything in my power to save if you get yourself into any kind of trouble. I won't fail again* Aeryn thought to herself as she watched him nod slightly and back away from her.  
  
"Thanks again, Aeryn. I feel much safer knowing you're there to protect my backside when things start to get rough," John told her as he glanced at the container he was holding in his left hand. "It's late and I'll…um…let you get some sleep yourself. Goodnight, Aeryn."  
  
She remained silent as she watched him walk off into the direction of his quarters, keeping up her Peacekeeper façade right up to the last moment when she saw him disappear from her view. Only then did she walk towards her own bed. Aeryn managed to remove her boots from her feet quietly and swiftly, before collapsing on the bed.  
  
The experiences of the past solar days had exhausted her. It took all her efforts to keep her emotions in check and keep herself from breaking down. He had been right about one thing; she needed to get some sleep.  
  
  
  
~to be continued~ 


	3. Hope on the Horizon, part 3

Title: Hope on the Horizon [3/4]  
  
Author: Sabine  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: everything up to the season 3 episode "Fractures"  
  
Summary: Post-Fractures. John needs to find a way to accomplish his goal to destroy Scorpy's wormhole research, but that's not the only thing on his mind: the return of Aeryn Sun and the way she has been acting, especially towards him, has complicated matters.  
  
Disclaimer: See part One bg  
  
***  
  
Chiana smiled as she walked into John's quarters. He had obviously taken up the advice she had given him before she had gone to bed last night. With all the stuff going on he had been in desperate need of some sleep. She remembered how excited he had been at the prospect of seeing Aeryn again after such a long time. Unfortunately the reunion did not turn out to be what John had expected of it at all.  
  
She watched him stir in his sleep. He looked more peaceful than she had seen him be in a long time. It was just too bad that she had too wake him and disturb his sleep, but they all needed to discuss how they were going to accomplish what they intended to do and they could not do it without him being there.  
  
They had already tried to contact John through his com, but he hadn't reacted. She had managed to convince the others to let him sleep a little while longer, because they had seen how tired John had looked and knew that he needed all the sleep he could get.  
  
"Hey old man! Time for breakfast," Chiana laughed as she stood at the edge of his bed. It wasn't like she had expected him to jump out of bed right away, but his lack of reaction wasn't what she had expected either.  
  
"Crichton, wake up. The others are waiting for you. We need to discuss our plans..."  
  
No reaction.  
  
Chiana walked closer to the bed to see if he was faking it. She listened to his rhythmic breathing in the hopes of figuring out if he was still sleeping or not. Something seemed wrong here...very wrong.  
  
"Crichton?" Slowly a sound of panic started to penetrate her voice. This wasn't normal anymore. If he had been sleeping he should have already woken up. It was then that something shiny on the floor caught her attention. A small container; one which was normally used to hold potions in it.  
  
Chiana quickly tapped her com. " Guys...I think we have a problem. It's Crichton."  
  
***  
  
Where was he?  
  
John looked around and carefully checked out his surroundings. It seemed like he was standing inside an office building. Looking at his clothes, he noticed he was wearing an expensive suit and holding a briefcase in his hands. The large room he was standing in was filled with desks, but there was no one to be found and with this being an office building the place should have been crawling with people. Instead of being greeted by voices talking to one another, he was greeted by a total and utter silence. It was somewhat eerie.  
  
A door suddenly opened to his right and a woman who looked about 28 years old appeared. She was neatly dressed in a black skirt and green blouse...her blond hair pulled back in a pony tail. A warm smile appeared on her face as she greeted him.  
  
"Good morning, Sir. You're right on schedule. I hope the traffic wasn't too bad this lovely morning?"  
  
"Er...it was...um," John stammered. He had no idea what her name was, even though she seemed to know him. "It was okay."  
  
"Mister Crichton...your aide is waiting for you in your office. He has something to discuss with you and he urged me to tell you that it's important," the woman stated, gesturing for him to walk through the doors and into another room.  
  
"My aide?" he asked as they entered the new room. It had quite a view and John could literally looked out at the entire busy metropolis, seeing people walked on the streets below. On the right side of the room stood a dark brown desk with a computer placed on it and several file-cabinets were situated near it. A painting hanging on the wall to his left caught his attention. It looked familiar, but he could not remember what it reminded him of. "I have an aide?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. Don't let him hear that you've said that about him. He has always been proud of being able to work for and with you, Sir. As we all do. It's a great pleasure working for such a person as brilliant as you, Sir. Frankly sir...our enemies won't stand a chance against us thanks to you."  
  
"Um...thank you. How long has my aide exactly been waiting in my office?" He needed answers and he was guessing that this `aide' of his had them. John had an idea as to who this aide could be, but he would know for sure after he had walked through the next door.  
  
"Not that long, Sir."  
  
"Okay, thanks. I can handle it from here," John smiled. The woman returned his smile and sat down behind the desk. He took a deep breath and opened the door to his office. As the door swung open in slow motion, he started laughing. "Harvey! What's up? You had me worried there for a while ...thought I was losin' my mind."  
  
"Hello, John. We have a lot of work to do..."  
  
***  
  
"Crichton?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Crichton?"  
  
"Go away...I'm sleeping," John mumbled groggily as he pulled the sheets over his head. Damn, couldn't they just leave him alone for one microt? He had just fallen asleep, unfortunately it seemed like the universe did not care and wasn't going to let him get the rest he desperately needed. John moaned as he felt the sheets being pulled away from him, exposing his body to the cold breeze of air circulating in his quarters. He was beginning to regret the decision he had made about sleeping in his boxer's and T-shirt last night.  
  
"I told you nothing was wrong with him," a voice insisted. "Can I go now, Chiana?"  
  
"Yeah sure. I kinda doubt I could have been able to keep you somewhere you obviously don't wanna be in the first place."  
  
John heard someone leaving his quarters, the footsteps dissipating in the distance. He would recognize the voice belonging to that person anywhere. Aeryn. What was she doing his quarters or Chiana for that matter? Even more importantly...what the frell was goin' on? He had definitely missed something here.  
  
"Wake up, Crichton!"  
  
"I'm up," John replied, getting up from his bed and swinging both his legs over the side. A shiver ran down his spine as his feet touched the cold floor. Man...if ever there was a moment he needed coffee, it was now. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times, before fully opening them. Gazing upwards he stared into the concerned face of the Nebari, her black eyes peering back into his.  
  
"What's going on here, Pip?"  
  
"Ya had me worried there for a while, old man," Chiana spoke relieved. "All of us actually..."  
  
"What are you talkin' about? I was sleeping. Hell...I only closed my eyes a couple of microts ago, so how could I have worried you guys? I just did what you told me to do when we talked a couple of arns ago. You know...get some rest," John answered somewhat confused.  
  
"You've been sleeping for three straight days now. I went back to check on you the morning after our talk an' I couldn't get ya to wake up..."  
  
He couldn't believe it, yet as he looked at her face he knew that she wasn't lying. This wasn't some kind of joke. Something had happened to him that had caused his friends to worry about him. Then it hit him...  
  
"Aeryn's potion..."  
  
Chiana nodded.  
  
"I found the container and realized that somethin' was wrong, so I commed the others. It didn't take me long to find out that Aeryn had something to do with it. Despite her best efforts I definitely saw some shock an' concern for ya shine through that recent Peacekeeper behaviour of hers when she found out about what happened. She told me that she had given the stuff so that ya could get some sleep. Apparently the potion had some side-effects caused by your human metabolism. Me and Jool have been taking shifts to keep watch over ya. She's working in the pharmacy right now to find a way to counter the effects of the potion, but since you're awake now I guess I'd better tell she can stop," Chiana grinned.  
  
"So...three days, huh?" John chuckled, scratching his head. "Guess this ol' Southern boy needs a bath and some food to eat."  
  
"Well ah...I wasn't gonna mention anything," Chiana laughed as she quickly backed away. "I'll leave ya to it. I can't help you with everything, ya know..."  
  
***  
  
"Pay attention, John!" Harvey growled as the paper airplane John had thrown from the opposite end of the conference table glided passed him. "Did you even hear what I have just said to you? I thought you wanted to come up with a effective plan to defeat Scorpius and destroy his wormhole research."  
  
"Yeah...but we've been at it for arns and my head is hurtin', Harvey," John spoke as he absentmindedly started to fold another paper airplane.  
  
"Perhaps you are right, John. We could use a break," Harvey nodded and pushed a button on the telephone. " Betty dear...Mister Crichton and I could use some refreshments. Bring something to drink, preferable some coffee and bring something to eat for us as well."  
  
"I was thinkin', Harv..." John informed as he pushed his comfortable leather chair backwards, letting his feet rest on the table. He folded his arms and looked at the neural clone, who was wearing a dark blue business suit over his usual leather clad outfit, with a yellow tie. At least this time he wasn't wearing a Hawaiian shirt and going on about pizzas and one particular alcoholic drink. "We've been dancing around the whole problem for a while now, but..."  
  
John was interrupted from his train of thought when the door opened and the blond woman, who had welcomed him earlier walked in carrying a tray of food and a coffee-pot. The aroma of fresh coffee filled his nostrils as he swung his feet off the table and leaned back in his chair. John watched as she placed the tray on the table and turned to look at Harvey.  
  
"Anything else, Sir?"  
  
John chuckled as he picked up the paper airplane he had left on the table and threw at the large window on his right. It wasn't exactly the Farscape One or a Peacekeeper Prowler, but it flew and that was the most important thing. He watched the little plane fly against the window and drop down on the floor with a soft thud.  
  
"No. That will be all. Thank you, Betty," Harvey smiled.  
  
John could have sworn that he saw the woman blush as she left the room and closed the door behind her. *Apparently this was Harvey's version of a office romance* he thought somewhat amused. A grin appeared on his face as Harvey realized that John had noticed the reaction of the woman.  
  
*Yeah...definitely an office romance.*  
  
"You were saying, John?" the clone asked, referring to what John had been trying to say to him before they had been interrupted by Betty.  
  
"What I was trying to say is that there is no other way, Harv..."  
  
"And you think that this going to work, John?"  
  
"You tell me...do you think Scorpius believes me to be valuable enough to make these demands? Especially considering what I could offer him. Am I not worth more to him alive than dead?" John had noticed the concern in the neural clone's voice. This was all about their survival, because if he died the neural clone would also die. He knew that Harvey above all wanted to live, so it was in the clone's best interest to help him survive the upcoming battle.  
  
"Yes. You are more than merely valuable to Scorpius. I believe that he would have no trouble granting your demands, John. In exchange for your cooperation of course..." Harvey countered.  
  
"Of course..." John nodded as he stretched his arms. " I wouldn't have expected it any other way, Harvey."  
  
"The others may not like your plan, John."  
  
" Whether they may or may not like my plan is not the issue...their safety is. They're free to choose if they wanna go with me on this or not. They're free enough to leave for the nearest commerce planet before I go ahead with the plan and all hell breaks loose. I'm not gonna force them to do this if they don't want to, but this plan is our only option. There is no other way. This needs to be done, Harvey. You know this as well as I do..."  
  
"They are waiting for you, John. You know what you have to do..." Harvey smiled sadly as he poured a cup of coffee. The plan John and he had devised was a dangerous one...a plan with a lot of risks attached to it. One which could just as well backfire on them, but alas it needed to be done. "You'd better go, John Crichton. It is time," the neural clone said as he pointed at the door. Harvey watched John get up from his chair and head towards the door he had pointed at.  
  
John took a deep breath, crossing his fingers before opening the door.  
  
"Here goes nothing..."  
  
~to be continued~ 


End file.
